New moms in Britain treated better than U.S. counterparts

5:38 PM,
Jul. 26, 2013

Written by

Jeanne Zaino

Now that the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a baby boy, she faces the same question all new mothers face: What next?

About a month before the baby was born, the duchess went on leave to spend the last few weeks of her pregnancy free from official duties. It is a leave that might stretch for a year, and this isn't just because Kate Middleton is royalty. All women in Great Britain are guaranteed 52 weeks of maternity leave, 39 of them paid.

Compare that with what new mothers in the USA can expect. The 1993 federal Family and Medical Leave Act requires only that companies with 50 or more employees ...